For Manchester City and their fans, it’s been a September to remember. They’ve taken care of business, most of the time, and the general feeling right now has kind of matched that classic Earth, Wind and Fire tune named for the 9th month of the year.
Another long, boring international break is winding down as it’s time to talk about the Manchester Derby.
Manchester Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun Oct 2, Etihad Stadium, 2pm
Starting XI Predictions: City United
Team News: City United
After Extra Time Pod: Spotify Apple
Google Result Probability: City 73% United 11% Draw 16%
Man City Team News
John Stones was forced off during the first half of England’s 3-3 draw against Germany at Wembley Stadium on Monday night due to a hamstring injury.
He is expected to return to City’s training ground today, where he will be assessed by the medical team.
According to some reports, he will undergo a scan this week, in order to assess the extent of the damage.
Stones has endured an injury-riddled season thus far, but he was fit to start the last two games at right back, in place of the injured Kyle Walker, who hasn’t featured for City since Sept. 3.
Walker is however expected to be fit for this one.
Phillips just recovered from successful shoulder surgery, and that means he’ll now deal with an extended spell on the sidelines. He’s only seen 20 minutes of playing time this season due to a chronic shoulder injury.
Center back supreme Aymeric Laporte was back in training this week, ahead of the wins over Wolves and Borussia Dortumund.
He was not however, named to the match day squad for either contest. Maybe he comes back in for the derby, and sees some time off the bench?
Benjamin Mendy remains suspended indefinitely. He is currently on trial for multiple criminal charges. He was however, cleared of two counts of rape and one of sexual assault against the same woman.
He won’t feature again until the legal process runs its course. We’ve covered that situation in detail, plenty already.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.